3 replies to this topic

[electrodynamix]

thought i would post them all here witgout creating seperate threads

1-how long can i keep a queen ant in a plastic box until i need to give her water?

2-how should i clean ant equipment? I've heard soap isn't safe for ants

3-if I'm adding soil,twigs or such things to a nest/outworld,how doi make sure its safe for ants or is that not necessary?

[RushmoreAnts]

1. You shouldn't keep her without water for more than a few hours. If you need to wait longer, place a moist cotton ball in the box.

2. Soak it in vinegar. It's antimicrobial, yet natural and safe for ants.

3. Microwave them. Many hardy, generalist, common species don't require soil or twigs, usually only rarer and cryptic species, or species that are heavily adapted to a certain environment.

[electrodynamix]

1. You shouldn't keep her without water for more than a few hours. If you need to wait longer, place a moist cotton ball in the box.
2. Soak it in vinegar. It's antimicrobial, yet natural and safe for ants.
3. Microwave them. Many hardy, generalist, common species don't require soil or twigs, usually only rarer and cryptic species, or species that are heavily adapted to a certain environment.

thanks! very helpful information.i was asking for the soil and twigs for aesthetic purposes

[Mettcollsuss]

1. If it's anything longer than just a temporary transport vial, she should have access to some form of water.

2. It depends on the equipment and the material. If it's something non-absorbent like tubes, forceps, formicarium glass, etc, then soap is fine as long as it's washed off thoroughly. For something like a plaster nest that is porous and absorbent, I would just use water and something to scrub away as much debris and waste as possible.

3. Freezing and baking are both methods of sterilization. If the material is kept dry, then there's also less chance of any soil microfauna to survive or dormant eggs to hatch. I like to avoid excess substrate in ant setups since it gives the ants opportunities to be annoying by doing things like covering the formicarium or tube glass with it and obscuring visibility, or nesting in the outworld, or placing it over the barriers, though that is a personal preference.